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Longmont's cool, rainy weather could mark beginning of dark moods for some

By Pierrette J. ShieldsLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
09/12/2012 08:19:29 PM MDT

Updated:
09/12/2012 08:20:36 PM MDT

Water droplets on a rose bush at Meadow Park in Lyons on Wednesday.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

LONGMONT -- The cool weather and rain on Wednesday may have been a welcome respite from the long, sweltering summer, but it could mark the beginning of low moods and lack of energy for some, according to a local psychologist.

Julie Yun, assistant director of counseling and psychological service at the University of Colorado, said some people are sensitive to the loss of light that comes with fall, winter and standard time.

Longmont received .68 of an inch of rain Wednesday, the first notable rainfall since July, according to Times-Call weather consultant Dave Larison.

Larison noted that the area normally has logged 11.3 inches of rain for the season by Sept. 12, but so far this year only 6 inches has accumulated.

A short dreary spell, like Wednesday's, may cause some people to want to stay indoors and enjoy a book and a cup of tea, but it isn't the same as Seasonal Affective Disorder, which causes some people to lose motivation to be active and feel some symptoms akin to depression.

"The days are starting to get a little bit shorter and when daylight savings (ends), we will see some people who are impacted by it," Yun said. "I see them every year."

Those who truly suffer from the condition begin to feel better in the spring, Yun said. Most people are able to work through it on their own, she said.

"For other people, they may need to talk to somebody and those are the people we see," Yun said.

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